Amalgamator.



I'. 4 STRINGHAM.

AMALGAMATOB.

PPLIoATIol FILED In sa, 1901.

Patented Got. 13, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRED STRINGHAM, 0F MANITOU, COLORADO.

AMALGAMATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. '13, 1908.

Application tiled May 23, 1907. Serial No. 375,230.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED STRINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manitou, El Paso county, Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amalgamators, of which the following is a Specification.

My invention relates to amalgamators and the object thereof is to provide a simple and eiicient and reliable machine of this character for the treatment of fine material containing precious metal such as gold or platinum.

The various features of advantage and utility in my new machine will be apparent from the description hereinafter given.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation of my machine and Fig. 2 a sectional plan on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the present embodiment of my invention, themachine comprises essentially a pan to receive the sand or metal bearing material and also the mercury, a feed pipe or chute for feeding the sand into the pan, and also a series of teeth arranged to rotate and to stir the material in the pan. This pan is provided with means for breaking. the fall or delivery of the sand into the pan and to cause a proper delivery thereof to such pan, which forms one of the main features of my invention and moreover the construction and arrangement of the teeth are such as to provide a bank of sand at the outer margin of the pan for purposes hereinafter described which represents another main feature of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the pan l, which may be made of suitable size and dimensions, is adjustably mounted so that it can be raised and lowered upon a frame 2 having wheels at opposite sides, the wheels 3 running on tracks 4 whereby the pan may be drawn from underneath the remainder of the machine for purposes hereinafter explained. The adl'ustment of the pan with respect to the 4 and wheels may be accguglished in suitable manner, as by mea'ta of four w tant jack screws 2 intermediate the pag frame. The pan 1 is amnged to s a bed of mercury which, however, d t rise to the height ofthe ian e but room for the sand which is elivered e pan and which covers said bed of ry. At its 'c tral portion this an 'is nided with a' f ck 5 secured an a slight distance above the bottom of the pan by means of suitable bolts 6 and in osition to receive the sand as it is delivered rom the lower end of the feed tube, which terminates slightly above the block. The object and function of this block is to act as a break for the sand so delivered and to prevent the same from striking forcibly into the body or bed of mercury and to cause such sand to be delivered laterally and more or less gently onto the open surface of the mercury.

The. feed tube 7 for the sand is arranged vertically and is adapted to rotate, the same being in the present instance provided with a gear wheel 8 driven by a pulley 9 through the medium of another gear wheel 10 mesh ing with the gear wheel 8. This latter gear wheel .not only causes the rotation of the feed tube 7 but also constitutes one of the bearing members for such tube. In the present instance this gear' wheel 8 has a ball bearing connection with the bearing member 11 which is secured to a main frame-work 12, which bearin and framework have the central opening i lustrated in Fig. 1 to permit the feed tube 7 to pass through.

Intermediate its length and below the bearing 11 the feed tube is provided with a disk 13 secured thereto and provided with a series of parallel vertically depending teeth 14. There is a considerable number of these teeth provided and in practice I employ approximately 30() of them. These teeth are similar, with the exception of a series of fourinner teeth, and two outer teeth, hereafter' to be described. They extend into the pan a suitable distance, and in practice the lower end of the teeth are arranged to clear the top of the mercury about 1; of an inch. The inner teeth 15, before mentioned, of which there are four in number, are inturned at their lower ends and operate in the space between the lower end of the feed tube and the top surface of the block 5 for the purpose of removing the sand delivered by the tube and forcing and delivering it laterally into the pan. The outer teeth 16, which are two in number, are curved outwardly and thence inwardly at their eXtreme lower ends, and do not approach the top of the mercury as closely as the teeth 14, the lower' ends in practice being' about one-half an inch, or somewhat more, -from the mercury. As shown in the drawing, there is a curved annular space between the path of these outer curved teeth 16 and the ange of the pan wherein a curved ring or bank of sand 17 accumulates and fioats undisturbed upon the surface of the mercury.

In operation, the sand or fine material which contains the precious metals, mixed, as is usual in apparatus of this general character with sufficient Water to form a thin pulp, is fed into the feed tube 7, it being assumed that the pan 1 contains the bed of mercury to the required depth. As the block projects slightly above the surface of the mercury, and the feed tube terminates above the block, the rotation of the feed tube now causes the sand to be delivered laterally and gently onto the surface of the bed of mercury, which is open throughout its extent, that is, no portion of it is inclosed by projections or extensions surrounding or associated with the feeding mechanism and tending to force the material being worked through or under the surface of the mercury. This rotation of the feed tube, with the disk 13, causes the teeth 14, revolving around the feed tube as an axis, to turn the sand over and over and agitate the same, allowing the particles of gold or other precious metal to settle down through the sand into the mercury, the sand and the base material fioating upon the mercury gradually being worked toward the periphery of the pan under the action of the rapidly revolving teeth. This waste material must find its way out of the pan over the curved bank or ring of sand 17 which is formed and maintained against the flange of the pan by the curved outer teeth 16. Since the teeth 14 extend nearly to the surface of the mercury, their action will cause the mercury below them to become more or less granulated and mingled with the material being Worked, but the bank of sand 17 and the action of the teeth 16 operate to cause the granulated mercury to remain in the pan and prevent its workin out with the refuse and waste material, an forma positive and effectual preventive against the loss of any mercury or fiour gold. Moreover the provision of this bank of sand floating in the clear space between the outer teeth and the flange of the pan operates to prevent the sand from being worked down between the side of the pan and the mercury, thus raising the level of the mercury and destroying its adjustment with respect to the teeth and rendering it difficult to retain it in the pan, as would be the case were such bank not provided for and maintained by means of the peculiarly formed teeth 16, or by some other means, and if the teeth 15 extended close to the edge of the pan and agitated the material being worked upon entlrely to the edge.

In practice I prefer to havethe frames 2 and 12 separatel and independently supported, so that t e jarring or vibration of the driving mechanism may not be communicated to the pan. The pan is provided at its center with an outlet 18 which communicates with an outlet pipe 19 having intermediate its length tw'o suitable valves such as Valves 2() and 21. lIn practice after a suficient amount of the material has been treated, 'the pan l is first lowered by means of the j ackscrews and then Withdrawn from beneath the machine and the Valve 20 is opened while the other valve 21 is closed. The amalgam drops through the opening 1S into the pipe 19 and what amalgam does not drop readily thereinto may be forced manually, the block 5 being raised sufficiently above the bottom of the pan to permit this to be don'e.

I claim:

1. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan adapted to contain an open bed of mercury, a block rising from the central portion of the pan and projecting above the surface of the mercury, a feed tube terminating slightly above the block for feeding the material, and mechanical means acting in the space between the tube and block for removing the material therefrom and delivering it laterally onto the open surface of the bed of mercury.

\ 2. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a b-lock rising from the central portion of the pan and projecting above the surface of the mercury, a feed tube terminating slightly above the block for feeding the material, and means for removing the material from the space between the tube and block and delivering it laterally onto the surface of the bed of mercury, such means comprising a series of teeth rotating in said space.

3. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a block rising from the central portion of the pan and projecting above the surface of the mercury, a feed tube terminating slightly above the block for feeding the material, a series of revolving teeth extending into said pan, and revolving teeth projecting between said block and Said feed tube for removing the material from the space between the tube and block and delivering it laterally onto the opensurface of the bed of mercury.

4. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan ada ted to contain an open bed of mercury, alblock rising from the central portion of the pan and projectin above the surface of the mercury, means or supporting saidblock upon said pan a short dis- -tance from the bottom lof the pan, a feed tube for feeding the material directly upon the block, and mechanical means acting in the space between the tube and block for removing the material therefrom deliveringit Iaterally onto the open surface of the bed of mercury.

5. In an amalgamator, .the combination of a pan adapted to contain an open bed of mercury, a block rising from the' central g materia wardly toward the edge of the pan, and i `means for forming and maintaining a bank u of material aroun maintainin an, a

of mercury.

6. In an amalgamator, the combination of a stationary pan adapted to contain a bed of means for feeding the material thereto, means for agitating the and gradually workmg it outthe margin of the pan. 7. In an amalgamator, the combination of n a an adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a lock rislng from the central portion of the pan and projecting above the surface of the mercury, a feed tube terminating slightly above the block for feeding the material,

\ means for agitating the material and gradually working it outwardly toward the edge of the pan, and means for forming and a bank of material around lthe block rising from the central portion of the span, a feed tube inating sli htly above the block for feedi" g the materia means for i 3E, .agitating the material, and curved revolving teeth for forming and maintainin a bank of material around the margin of t e pan.

9. In an amalgamator, the combination of a an adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a lock rising from the central ortion of the pan, a feed tube terminating i htly above the block for feeding the materia a series of revolvingteeth for agitating the material, and spec1al teeth bent at their lower ends to form and maintain a bank of material around the margin of the pan.

10. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a block rising from the central of the pan, a feed tube terminating s ghtl above the block for feeding the materia means for rotating said tube, a disk secured thereto, a series of teeth depending therefrom for agitating the material, and teeth arranged beyond the other teeth and also depending from said disk, said latter teeth being curved at their lower ends to form and maintain a bank of material around the margin of the pan.

11. In an amalgamator, the combination of a pan adapted to contain a bed of mercury, a block rising from the central portion of the pan and projectin above the surface of the mercury, a fe tube terminating slightly above the block for feeding the material onto the surface of the mercury, means for rotating said tube, a disk secured thereto, a series of teeth depending therefrom for agitating the material, and teeth for removin the material from the space between the ower end of the feed tube and the block.

FRED STRINGHAM. Witnesses J. B. Mmmrrr, PHILo C. Hummm. 

